CVE-2022-0452
📋 TL;DR
A use-after-free vulnerability in Chrome's Safe Browsing component allows remote attackers to potentially escape the browser sandbox via a crafted HTML page. This affects all Chrome users prior to version 98.0.4758.80. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution on the victim's system.
💻 Affected Systems
- Google Chrome
📦 What is this software?
Chrome by Google
Google Chrome is the world's most popular web browser, used by over 3 billion users globally across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS platforms. As a Chromium-based browser developed by Google, Chrome dominates the browser market with approximately 65% market share, making it a critical compon...
Learn more about Chrome →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise via sandbox escape leading to arbitrary code execution with user privileges, potentially enabling further privilege escalation.
Likely Case
Remote code execution within the browser context, potentially leading to data theft, malware installation, or lateral movement.
If Mitigated
Limited to browser process isolation if sandbox escape fails, potentially causing browser crashes or denial of service.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (visiting malicious webpage). No public exploit code available at disclosure.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 98.0.4758.80
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2022/02/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Chrome 2. Click menu (three dots) → Help → About Google Chrome 3. Chrome will check for and install updates automatically 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript
allTemporarily disable JavaScript to prevent exploitation via malicious web pages
chrome://settings/content/javascript → Block
Use alternative browser
allUse a non-Chrome browser until patched
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network filtering to block malicious websites
- Use application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version via chrome://settings/help or chrome://versionCheck Version:
google-chrome --version (Linux) or open chrome://versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 98.0.4758.80 or later📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports
- Unexpected process creation from chrome.exe
Network Indicators:
- Connections to known malicious domains triggering Safe Browsing alerts
SIEM Query:
process_name:chrome.exe AND (event_id:1000 OR parent_process_name:chrome.exe)